Haynes has relaunched the iconic five-million-copy bestselling Bluffer’s Guide series! The famously ingenious pocket-sized books have been inspiring speechwriters, ironic gift givers, and genuine information seekers for the past five decades.
Written by experts and offering readers the opportunity to pass off appropriated knowledge as their own, the Guides provide hard fact masquerading as frivolous observation in one witty, easy read.
The pocket-sized books, which the Daily Telegraph described as containing “an amazing amount of solid fact disguised as frivolous observation”, have been helping millions of readers gain background knowledge on a diverse range of subjects from Accountancy to Sex since 1965.
Minimum effort, maximum credibility: what’s not to like?
The 16 brilliant titles available at launch are:
The Bluffer’s Guide To Brexit by Boris Starling **ALL-NEW FOR 2018!**
A comprehensive, witty and irreverent new guide to the most divisive issue in contemporary British politics. By the screenwriter, newspaper columnist, and author of bestselling novel, Messiah
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Social Media by Susie Boniface (aka Fleet Street Fox)
“They don’t come much sharper, funnier, or more acerbic than La Boniface. Fazed by Facebook? Twitter makes you feel like a tw@t? Then this is indispensable.” Rufus Hound, comedian
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Etiquette by William Hanson
“This brilliant and essential book is social satnav and a funny and infallible guide to modern life and times.” Rachel Johnson, author, and former editor of The Lady
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Racing by David Ashforth
“Ashforth writes like an angel. This utterly brilliant, wildly funny guide to racing will be invaluable to any newcomers.” Jilly Cooper, bestselling novelist and journalist
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Golf by Adam Ruck
“All you need to know to survive a dinner date with a golfer.” Tim Dickson, editor of Golf Quarterly
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Wine by Jonathan Goodall and Harry Eyres
“Iconoclastic, informed and very funny. These bluffers have tongues in cheeks as well as excellent palates.” Tim Atkin, Master of Wine
The Bluffer’s Guide To Cricket by James Trollope
“Great fun. A perfect book for all those who love cricket or who want to pretend that they do.” Barry Johnston, son of TMS’s ‘Johnners’ and author of The Wit of Cricket
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Cycling by Rob Ainsley
“A very funny and useful guide to the world of cycling.” Alexei Sayle, writer and comedian
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Beer by Jonathan Goodall
“This book should carry a Government Health Warning. Goodall's crazy wit could seriously damage the heart. But what a way to go.” Rupert Ponsonby, The Beer Academy
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Management by John Courtis & Elizabeth B Ratcliffe
“Learn to be a better manager while laughing at the folly of it all. Very entertaining and well-written.” John Purkiss, co-author of Brand You
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Jazz by Paul Barnes
“No two jazz enthusiasts ever agree about anything. This witty, elegant book, mixing the erudite with the mythical, will bolster spirited disagreements for many years to come.” Alyn Shipton, writer and presenter of BBC Radio 3's Jazz Record Request
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Dogs by Simon Whaley
The ultimate insight into the canine world by the author of the bestselling ‘One Hundred Ways for a Dog to Train its Human’.
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Fishing by Rob Beattie
“A real crash course in becoming an instant angling expert.” Tim Knight, editor, Angler’s Mail
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Opera by Keith Hann
“An indispensable resource for any conductor wishing to blag their way through conversations with divas.” Nicholas Chalmers, conductor
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Chocolate by Neil Davey
“Don’t know your Ghanaian from your Grenadian? Help is at hand. Soon you’ll be saying ‘Ah, the unmistakeable cold-worked granularity of the finest Modican’ with the best of ’em.” Marian O’Loughlin, The Guardian
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
The Bluffer’s Guide To Cats by Vicky Halls
“An enjoyably funny insight into the feline mindset. Not even cats know as much about cats as Vicky Halls.” Celia Haddon, cat expert and bestselling author
Paperback, 178mm x 111mm, 160pp, £6.99 RRP
To coincide with the exciting relaunch, we commissioned a survey to see just how much the British actually bluff...
New research has revealed that the UK is home to a nation of bluffers. An independent survey commissioned by Bluffer’s Guidespolled over 1,000 people from across the UK and revealed that nearly eight in ten (79%) Brits regularly find themselves having a conversation on a subject they’re clueless on.
Regardless of the fact they may have only read the headline or seen the half-time score, Brits also admitted that they bluff their way through chit-chat because they want to be polite (38%), don’t want to feel left out of the conversation (28%), want to seem knowledgeable (23%), or want to show an interest (54%).
From news to wine, sport, politics and beyond, Brits are well-versed in pretending to know what they’re talking about, but it is men that are the worst culprits. Over a quarter of men (28%) admitted to talking nonsense and riding by the seat of their pants just because they want to seem knowledgeable, compared to 18% of women. Similarly 18% of men said that they want to impress others, compared to 10% of women.
When it comes to the workplace, over a third of Brits (35%) admitted to having a conversation with their boss or senior member of the team on a subject they knew nothing about, simply to try and impress them and over four in ten (45%) confessed to using buzzwords in conversations to sound more intelligent. Nearly half of men (47%) admitted to doing this, compared to just under a quarter (24%) of women.
Unsurprisingly politics is the topic Brits are most likely to bluff their way through conversations on, with nearly a third (31%) of Brits admitting to bluffing their way through an exchange on Brexit. In fact, there are few, if any, subjects better suited to the noble art of bluffing than Brexit.
More than one in three (34%) said that they have no idea what is going on with Brexit at the moment, but that doesn’t stop them from putting in our two pence worth on what the likes of May, Merkel, Barnier and Davis should be doing. Over three in ten (31%) people said that they simply reiterated front page news when talking about Brexit to sound as if they know what they’re talking about. Meanwhile just over one in ten (12%) Brits admitted that they talk about Brexit, despite knowing nothing about politics!
Of course it’s one thing bluffing our way through Brexit at the bar, and another thing bluffing our way through Brexit in Brussels. Among those currently involved in negotiations, Brits think Theresa May (25%) is bluffing her way through Brexit most successfully, followed by Boris Johnson (16%). Conversely 43% say no one is bluffing their way through successfully.
Thankfully a timely new book titled The Bluffer’s Guide to Brexitwill give ministers (including Theresa May), political commentators and the general public all the basics needed when talking about Brexit. Written by journalist and author Boris Starling, the handy book will enable The Bluffer to drop in some esoteric facts, make a few opaque allusions, and convey the kind of inside knowledge usually confined to the most senior civil servants.
Making for essential reading, the book covers the history behind Britain’s relationship with Europe, the referendum itself and the way it divided (and continues to divide) this country, the legalities of the split, and some of the areas which will be most affected. It also drops in a few French, Latin and Greek terms, which the Bluffer should use to portray a certain je ne sais quoi. The Bluffer's Guide to Brexit is not a ‘How To’ guide, but rather a ‘How to Pretend You Know How To’ guide (there is a subtle distinction).
The survey not only comes at a time when the brand new Bluffer’s Guide to Brexit is released, but also because 15 other existing titles will have been given an entirely new look and feel for 2018, with updated titles focusing on Beer, Wine, Dogs, Cats, Chocolate, Cricket, Cycling, Horseracing, Fishing, Golf, Jazz, Opera, Management, Social Mediaand Etiquette.
Boris Starling, author of The Bluffer's Guide to Brexit, says: “Inspiring speech writers, ironic gift givers and genuine information seekers for the past four decades, Bluffer’s Guides are known for providing hard fact masquerading as instant wit and wisdom in one easy read and it’s great to see them enjoy a new look and feel in 2018.
"In my opinion, there are few, if any, subjects better suited to the noble art of bluffing than Brexit – and of course it’s a really dominant political issue so this latest title couldn’t really come at a more timely point in history. It has been fascinating to write in a way that anyone - including the most erudite senior civil servant or politician - can easily digest and regurgitate!”
Both informative and entertaining to read, the all new Bluffer’s Guides are on sale now at all bookshops in print at £6.99 and will soon be available via online retailers in e-book format. Bluffer’s Guides are a great starting point for understanding any topic. For further information visit www.bluffers.com